Man dead after being struck by a train in Surrey

A Lower Mainland man is dead after being struck by a cargo train near the Washington-B.C. border crossing early Saturday morning.

The incident happened just before 3 am in Surrey, B.C. near the Peace Arch border crossing along the Semiahmoo Indian Reserve.

The White Rock Fire Department, White Rock RCMP, and the B.C. Ambulance Service responded, but the man couldn't be saved.

"My understanding is that the gentleman was deceased on arrival," said Sgt. David MacDonald with Surrey RCMP, which took over the case once officials found the man on the Surrey side of the boundary with White Rock.

Officials weren't immediately clear on the circumstances leading up to the man's death.

"At this point, it's way too early in the investigation to make that determination as to why he'd be on the tracks. That'll all be able to come out later on as we progress through our investigation," said MacDonald.

MacDonald said the B.C. Coroners Service, CN Railroad Police, and RCMP will all take part in the investigation.

This is the latest in a series incidents involving pedestrians along the Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks.

In February 2014, an elderly dementia patient was struck while wandering along the BNSF track, nearby. And in July 2013, a woman was killed while jogging across the tracks in White Rock.